Simone Biles Apologizes to OutKick’s Riley Gaines For Getting ‘Personal’ — Makes Clear She Wants Fairness in Girls’ Sports

Simone Biles, of the United States, celebrates after winning the gold medal during the women’s artistic gymnastics all-around finals in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles apologized to OutKick’s Riley Gaines on Tuesday following a heated social media exchange about trans athletes.

Four days earlier, Gaines went viral for a tweet criticizing a Minnesota high school softball team. The team — Champlin Park High School — has been at the center of controversy due to its inclusion of male-born pitcher Marissa Rothenberger. According to reporting of the situation, Rothenberger’s mother got court approval to change her child’s sex from male to female shortly after their ninth birthday. The team’s success throughout the playoffs — led by Rothenberger’s dominant play — has only amplified the noise around it.

In a series of tweets, Biles called Gaines “truly sick” and a “straight up loser.”

That prompted multiple responses from Gaines, including several instances where she referenced Larry Nassar — the disgraced doctor who preyed upon some of Biles’ Olympic teammates — to criticize her.

On Tuesday, Biles posted a tweet apologizing to Gaines for taking personal shots:

I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for. These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful. Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.

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